Rescued from the gallows in 1850s London, young orphan (and thief) Mary Quinn is surprised to be offered a singular education, instruction in fine manners — and an unusual vocation. Miss Scrimshaw’s Academy for Girls is a cover for an all-female investigative unit called The Agency, and at seventeen, Mary is about to put her training to the test. Assuming the guise of a lady’s companion, she must infiltrate a rich merchant’s home in hopes of tracing his missing cargo ships. But the household is full of dangerous deceptions, and there is no one to trust — or is there?

Packed with action and suspense, banter and romance, and evoking the gritty backstreets of Victorian London, this breezy mystery debuts a daring young detective who lives by her wits while uncovering secrets — including those of her own past.

My Thoughts

I really ended up enjoying this story although I feel like nothing of import or significance really happened until the end of the book. Mary is placed with a prominent family suspected of crimes that her agency is interested in finding out more about. Mary inadvertently begins working with another fellow curious to the family’s possible illegal activities. But she doesn’t really discover much until the end of this book. In the meantime I enjoyed her growing friendship and camaraderie with her new fella. I was left interested enough to eventually read the next book in the series.

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Jade is a book blogger from NC. In her spare time she loves to read and build and maintain websites. She has been reading since she was four and building websites since she was 16. SortofBeautiful.com was born on March 8, 2011 and is a fantastic merging of her two favorite hobbies. Enjoy your stay!